Latest News From North Carolina

An annual Research Field Day is among the activities the Benson-based North Carolina Sweetpotato Commission has scheduled for sweetpotato growers during the fall/winter season.

North Carolina sweetpotato growers are hopeful that a continuing drop in acreage will lead to tighter supplies and stronger markets, as well as help them cope with inflation and skyrocketing costs.

With the organic muscadine grape program, Happy Dirt and one of the company’s North Carolina farmer-partners are working to build awareness around the grape’s unique flavors, adaptability and health benefits.

The Louisiana Sweet Potato Commission, Mississippi Sweet Potato Council and North Carolina SweetPotato Commission share updates on upcoming initiatives and events.

Sweet potatoes lead the list of top-dollar fruit and vegetable commodities in North Carolina and South Carolina, according to USDA agricultural statistics for 2022.

North Carolina fresh fruit and vegetable shipments rose 6% in 2022 when compared with 2021, according to USDA data.

L&M has added to its acreage to accommodate growing customers’ needs and has expanded its portfolio in the past five years to include broccoli and melons.

North Carolina and South Carolina are anything but small potatoes when it comes to peanut production.

North Carolina sweet potatoes check all the boxes for today’s consumers, says Michelle Grainger, executive director of the North Carolina SweetPotato Commission.

The biggest highlight of the marketing campaign for Durham, N.C.-based Happy Dirt sweet potatoes this spring is education around the product and the growers, said Taylor Meadows, marketing coordinator.

Robin Narron, marketing director and sales support for Nash Produce, says that sweet potato movement can increase up to 20% during the Easter sales period.

North Carolina sweet potato acreage is down but the quality is very good, reports Norman Brown, director of sweet potato sales for Wada Farms Marketing Group, Raleigh, N.C.

With better moisture this year, Bethel, N.C.-based Corey Produce expects a slightly bigger sweet potato crop in 2022, says spokesman Lee Corey.

Faison, N.C.-based Nature’s Way Farms is a year-round grower, packer, and shipper of North Carolina conventional and organic sweet potatoes.

Wilson, N.C.-based Lancaster Farms has a strong quality sweet potato harvest coming on, says Derek Lancaster, grower with the company.

Sand Candy Produce LLC will feature good volume of sweet potatoes during the 2022-2023 marketing season, says Delbert Bland, Sand Candy partner and owner of Glennville, Ga.-based Bland Farms owner.

Nashville, N.C.-based Nash Produce expects to have a strong sweet potato supply this year, says Thomas Joyner, president.

MONTEREY, Calif. — Despite very dry conditions, the North Carolina sweet potato crop for Vick Family Farms is looking good, says Charlotte Vick, partner and sales manager for the Wilson, N.C. produce marketer.

Consumers can look for a new Got to Be NC logo with the official roll-out of the latest branding campaign by the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Marketing Division.

Raleigh, N.C.-based L&M Companies has an ample supply of Carolina produce commodities in the months ahead, company leaders said.

2021 has brought a year of celebration for the North Carolina SweetPotato Commission as they began celebrating their 60th anniversary milestone.

The North Carolina SweetPotato Commission (NCSPC) named FullTilt Marketing its domestic agency for marketing and public relations.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has imposed sanctions on Southern Produce Distributors Inc. (SPD), Faison, N.C., for violating the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA).

The North Carolina SweetPotato Commission (NCSPC) began celebrating a big milestone as they turned 60 on June 30th.

Supply of North Carolina onions, potatoes, cucumbers and other vegetables is increasing seasonally for Raleigh-based L&M Cos.

Touching more than 30 commodities, the Got To Be NC initiative promotes North Carolina-grown fresh produce and other farm goods to buyers around the corner and across the ocean.

Irvington, N.Y.-based indoor leafy greens grower BrightFarms opened its latest indoor farm in Hendersonville, N.C.

The USDA has imposed sanctions on First Fruits Holdings LLC, doing business as Four Rivers Onion Packing, (First Fruits), Wake Forest, N.C., for violating the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act.

A $16 million U.S. Department of Transportation grant to the North Carolina State Port Authority will help pay for upgrades that will triple the Port of Wilmington’s container capacity.

Despite a challenging season, North Carolina’s premium sweet potatoes are set to hit supermarket shelves and dinner tables in time for Thanksgiving and winter holidays. 

Growing sweet potatoes is a labor-intensive business

The North Carolina SweetPotato Commission has named Michelle Grainger its new executive director.

Hydroponic greenhouse grower BrightFarms’ next project is in Hendersonville, N.C., with a 280,000-square-foot facility estimated to produce up to two million pounds of leafy greens to retailers in the region.

North Carolina sweet potato shipments accounted for 70% of U.S. sweet potato shipments in 2018, down slightly from 73% in 2017 and even with 2016.

Health benefits are becoming a major selling point of North Carolina Sweet potatoes.

Produce wholesalers at the Raleigh (N.C.) State Farmers Market may be booted from their space when a master plan for redesigning the property and surrounding land comes to fruition.

Crops in Florida were spared but Hurricane Dorian was still poised to dump big rains in coastal regions of the Carolinas on Sept. 5-6.

Titan Farms, Ridge Spring, S.C., and Harris Teeter, Matthews, N.C., have donated 219,000 pounds of peaches to food banks through the Peaches with a Purpose program over the past five years.

Global sweet potato promotion is growing southern U.S. sweet potato exports.

After unfavorable weather conditions last fall, sweet potato yields dropped from 224 cwt. per acre in 2017 to 190 cwt. per acre in 2018. This season producers are looking forward to the new crop to bring better yields.

Sweet potato grower-shipper Wayne Bailey Produce, Chadbourn, N.C., is closing after 85 years, and its customers will now be served by Jackson Farming Co.

Steven Ceccarelli, owner of Faison, N.C.-based sweet potato company Farm Fresh Produce Inc., has been named the Small Business Administration North Carolina Small Business Person of the Year.

The North Carolina Sweetpotato Commission is planning to launch a branding program for sweet potatoes grown in North Carolina.

PennRose Farms, Wimauma, Fla., a grower-owned company that has a network of growers in the U.S. and Mexico, is expanding its geographic footprint.

Salad greens grower BrightFarms, Irvington, N.Y., will add three greenhouse farms in Massachusetts, New York and North Carolina, breaking ground in each location by the end of 2019 to start production in spring 2020.

Sweet potato grower-shipper Southern Produce Distributors, like many North Carolina growers, faced adversity this year with Hurricane Florence’s rains.

A quarantine of North Carolina sweet potatoes will not affect fresh sweet potatoes leaving the state.

There is no use trying to pin down the precise amount of damage caused to the North Carolina sweet potato crop by Hurricane Florence and the remnants of tropical storm Michael.

Bonduelle Fresh Americas has shipped 10,000 Ready Pac Foods Bistro salads to Wilmington, N.C., for hurricane relief.

Bonduelle Fresh Americas has shipped 10,000 Ready Pac Foods Bistro salads to Wilmington, N.C., for hurricane relief.